Cable attaching assembly



Jan. 28, 1969 ARUTUNOFF I 3,424,485

CABLE ATTACHING ASSEMBLY Filed April 24 1967 Sheet 1 of 2 I INVENTOR. ARMA/S ARUTUNOFF ATTORNEYS Jan. 23, 1969 A} ARUTUNOFF' 3,424,485

CABLE ATTACHING ASSEMBLY 4 Filed April 24, 1967 Sheet 2 of 2 I/NVE/VTOR ARMA/S ARUTUNOFF ATTORNEY United States Patent 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An assembly for attaching an end of a multi-strand cable to an element to be supported, wherein the cable is inserted through a clamping sleeve and its strands are bent in reverse to overlap the periphery of the sleeve. The sleeve is then inserted in a cup connected to the element to be supported, with the bends of the strands engaging the base of the cup. The sleeve is of such a length that its upper end projects above the upper end of the cup. An inverted clamping socket, having an axial opening receiving the cable, is threaded to engage threads on the .cup. When the socket is screwed onto the cup, its base abuts the projecting end of the sleeve and causes clamping of. the strands between the bottom of the sleeve and the base of the cup.

Related application The present invention is related to that disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 621,924, filed Mar. 9, 1967, which illustrates and describes a preferred use of this invention.

- Summary of invention This invention is directed to an assembly for the attachment of the end of a cable to an element to be supported thereby, and while it was primarily designed for use in connection with a wire-line suspended, electric pump installation for well casings, such as described in my copending application, above referred to, the principle involved is adaptable for various uses where it is desired to suspend apparatus or structural elements from a supporting cable.

Briefly, the invention comprises a tubular clamping sleeve through which an end of the cable is projected and, thereafter, the strands of the cable are separated and bent radially and in a reverse direction to lie alongside the outer periphery of the sleeve. The ends of the bent portions of the strands are secured by suitable means against the periphery of the sleeve so that the bends of the strands underlie the lower extremity of the sleeve. The sleeve and bent ends of the strands are in serted in a recessed member or cup of a depth less than the length of the sleeve so that the bends of the strands rest upon the base of the cup between the latter and the cup exert a vice-like action on the bends of the strands.

The primary advantage of the invention resides in its simplicity of structure and positive clamping action in securing the end of the cable to an element to be supported thereby.

The drawings Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views:

Patented Jan. 28, 1969 "ice FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view illustrating one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded, vertical, sectional view illustrating a modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the parts of FIG. 3 in assembled form.

Detailed description Referring first to FIG. 1, the invention is illustrated as applied to the wire-line suspended electric pump installation of my said copending application, the cable 5 being employed for suspending the pump installation through connection to the discharge nipple 6 at the upper end of the pump installation. In this instance, the cable 5 is of the type including a resilient core 7 in which are provided a plurality of conductors 8 arranged in spaced relation. The core 7 is enveloped by a series of spirally wound weight-supporting wires 9 which serve the dual function of providing an armor for the cable and imparting thereto sufiicient strength to support the weight of the pump installation, and through the conductors 8, supplying electrical energy for the pump motor.

An internally threaded socket 10 is designed to threadedly engage the upper end 11 of the discharge nipple 6 and terminates at its upper end in an externally threaded cup member 12, the bottom of which is provided with a central opening 13 for accommodating the core 7 of the cable, as will later appear. Bounding the opening 13, the bottom of the cup member is provided with an annular base 14 forming a lower clamping jaw which is preferably arcuate in cross-section to provide the lower clamping member of the assembly.

A sleeve follower 15 has an axial opening 16 for accommodating the cable 5, and its lower end terminates in a socket 17 which is internally threaded as at 18 to receive complementary threads on the outer periphery of the cup 12, thus being detachably and adjustably connected thereto.

A tubular sleeve 19 is provided with an axial opening 20 to closely receive the cable 5 and is of a length greater than the depth of the interior 21 of the cup 12, so that its annular, upper extremity 22 is engageable by the top surface or base 23 of the inverted socket 17 when the latter is screwed onto the threads 18 ofthe cup 12. Preferably, the lower extremity of the sleeve 19 is radially enlarged and provided with a curved bearing surface 19a forming an upper clamping jaw to coact with the arcuate base 14 or lower jaw of cup 12.

In assembly, the cable 5 is first inserted through the opening 16 in follower 15 until its end protrudes beyond the inverted socket 17. The sleeve 19 is then slipped over the cable, and the ends of the spirally wound outer wires 9 are separated from the core 7 and bent outwardly and back over the outer periphery of the sleeve, where they are retained in place by one or two wrappings of copper wire 24. The sleeve and the bent wires of the cable are then inserted in the cup 12, with the bends 9b of the wires interposed between the bearing surface 19a or jaw of the sleeve and the base 14 or jaw of the cup 12, the core 7 of the cable having been previously inserted through the opening 13 in the socket 10.

By screwing the socket 17 tightly onto the threads of the cup 12, the abutment of the base 23 of socket 17 with the upper extremity 22 of the sleeve causes an axial clamping pressure to be exerted on the bends 9b of the wires 9 against the base of the cup, thus firmly retaining them in place. Thereafter, a lock nut 25 is tightened on the threads of the cup to prevent displacement of the assernbly.

The core 7, with its embedded conductors 8, is then projected through radial opening 26 in discharge nipple 6 for connection to the pump motor, as in my copending application.

In the modified embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the essential features are substantially the same as those previously described. Here, however, instead of manually bending the separated ends 9a of the outer wires of the cable and securing them to the outer periphery of the sleeve 19 by wire wraps 24, a collar 27 is employed. As seen in FIG. 3, a clamp 28 having tightening bolts 29 is secured around the cable adjacent the upper extremity of the sleeve 19 to prevent longitudinal movement of the latter. The ends 9a of the outer wires of the cable are then spread radially, and the collar 27 is forced upwardly over the sleeve, causing the Wires to lie alongside the outer periphery of the sleeve. Preferably, the upper end of the inner periphery of the collar 27 is flared outwardly as at 30 to facilitate the slipping of the collar over the sleeve with the wires therebetween.

The clamp 28 is then removed, and with the parts assembled as shown in FIG. 4, the upper end of the sleeve abuts the adjacent top portion 23 of the socket 17, effecting the same clamping action between the bearing surface of the sleeve and the base of the cup 12.

With this arrangement, the collar. 27 automatically holds the bent ends 90 of the wires in place around the sleeve, which eliminates the wire wrapping and renders the operation considerably more simple. As seen in FIG. 4, when the assembly is completed, the sleeve 19 and collar 27 are telescopically received within the cup 12, and the downward pressure of the base 23 of the socket 17 on the upper end of the sleeve, causes a clamping action with the base of the cup 12, similar to that described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2.

It should be noted that while this invention has been described as embodying a combination cable having condtuctors therein for energizing an electric motor, it may be employed with any of the purely weight-supporting cables used in construction projects where various struc tural elements are required to be supported by cables.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the art without further description, it being borne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A connecting assembly for attaching an element to be suspended to an end of a multi-strand cable, comprising a clamping sleeve having an axial bore for receiving said cable with the ends of the strands thereof separated and projecting from its lower end and bent radially over the bottom of said sleeve and then reversed against its periphery, the bottom of said sleeve forming an upper clamping jaw, means securing the bent ends of said strands against said sleeve, a cup member having a bottom which forms a coacting lower clamping jaw, secured at its lower end to the element to be supported, said sleeve, with said strands bent thereon, being insertable in said cup member, with the bends of said strands lying between the upper jaw formed by said sleeve and the coacting lower jaw formed by the bottom of said cup member, the length of said sleeve being greater than the depth of said cup member so as to project partially above the latter when inserted therein, a sleeve follower engageable with the projecting upper end of said sleeve, and means for exerting a downward force on said sleeve in said cup to cause a direct axial clamping action between the jaw of the sleeve and the jaw of said cup to firmly clamp the bends of said strands in place.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sleeve follower comprises an inverted socket intern-ally threaded to engage complementary threads on the periphery of said cup member, said follower having an axial bore aligned with the bore of said sleeve for jointly receiving said cable, the bore of said follower being bounded by an inwardly directed, annular shoulder for abutment with the projecting upper end of said sleeve when said socket is screwed onto said cup, to thereby effect said clamping action.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom of said sleeve and the adjacent bottom of said cup are arcuate in cross-section to provide complementary clamping surfaces.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, for use with a cable having a central core including spaced conductors, wherein the lower extremity of said cup member is provided with an axial opening for accommodating said core.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bent ends of said cable strands are retained against the periphery of said sleeve by annular mappings of wire.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for securing the bent ends of said strands against said sleeve comprise an annular collar adapted to telescopically receive said sleeve, whereby, when said strands are separated and projected radially, the telescoping of said collar on said sleeve bends the strands upwardly against the periphery of the sleeve and retains them in place.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein said sleeve, collar and cup are telescopically engageable.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 294,392 3/1884 Kortum 28782 FOREIGN PATENTS 410,788 3/ 1925 Germany.

CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

WAYNE L. SHEDD, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

